We have hard water in these parts, which means that whenever it sits around, like at the base of a water faucet, you get calcium/mineral buildup. Here’s what ours looked like a few hours ago. Ew!
Thanks to some homemade citrus vinegar that I made last month, I now have a power cleaner that’ll cut through the boilerplate mineral deposits found around our sinks, shower, and bathtub.

This mineral deposit is hard and sticks like glue.
First, to make the citrus cleaner, just throw your orange peels into a mason jar and pour in some distilled white vinegar to cover the orange rind. Keep adding orange peels until the jar is filled, adding vinegar to totally cover over the peels.
Screw a lidΒ on the jar, and let it sit for a month with all of the peels totally submerged. Remove the orange peels and the remaining liquid is your all-purpose citrus cleaner that’ll work wonders in your home.
I dilute it with water 1:1 into a spray bottle and use it wherever I’m cleaning: countertops, windows, ovens and stoves, bathrooms. But the kitchen sink faucet was where I hit paydirt. This stuff cut through that mineral deposit and enabled me to get my faucet back to looking like new.
Just spray the 1:1 solution on your affected area and let it set for a few minutes and rub off.
I had to repeat this several times, but it eventually removed the white caked-on material.
So the next time you eat an orange, just save those peels, stuff them into a jar and cover with white vinegar, adding more peels and vinegar until the jar is full. After a month, you’ll have a citrus cleaner ready for your toughest jobs.
Great idea! Thanks.
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I’m going to try this!! Thanks!
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My hb usually uses lemon juice but when I read this out he immediately put his grapefruit and orange peel on a jar and dug out the white vinegar lurking at the back of the cupboard and very grateful to be seeing the light of day!
Ps The potatoes have started showing ππ»
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Oh goodie! Thanks for the reminder. Our potatoes are about 8 inches high now, so it’s time to add some dirt on them.
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I like the idea of getting as much out of my food as possible….so assuming you buy organic oranges, I would zest them first to get all the nutrients locked up in the skin, juice them for some recipe and THEN collect them in a jar of vinegar.
I’m going to try this.
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